Author's note: I added Luigi to this episode just so I can make it a little more interesting, but keep in mind that this does not change the fact that he's not in the actual game of Super Mario 64. Also, the total number of stars is 75 instead of 120 because I'm excluding the stars for 100 coins in the regular worlds (15), red coins (15), and secrets in the castle (15), since there was a possibility that people would get confused.

Saturday, July 12, 1997, 11:00 AM

Before the Nintendo 64 era began in Videoland, the Mario Brothers has been assisting Princess Peach in building a brand new castle for her. It was indeed completed when parts of Videoland began being re-rendered in N64-like graphics, but the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom never gave proper gratitude to her friends for helping with the construction of her new castle. So, she decided to get that out of the way.

The Mario Brothers were basically relaxing in their home, until they received a letter from Peach herself. It read:

"Dear Mario Brothers, please come to the castle. I have baked a cake for you two. Yours truly, Princess Peach Toadstool."

After reading the short letter, the Mario Brothers decided to pay a visit to Princess Peach's castle. Along the way, the brothers were speaking to each other.

"Hey, Mario, I wonder why the Princess baked a cake for us." Luigi said.

"Probably because she forgot to pay us gratitude last September. After all, we did help with her castle." Mario said.

"Yes, that's true." Luigi said.

They approached the front door and opened it, expecting a greetings from the Princess herself. But, they instead heard a monster-like voice:

"Welcome; no one's home! Now scram, and don't come back! Gwahahahaha!"

Luigi then spoke, "Eh, now that's not a proper way to say hi!"

"True, but I think I've heard that voice before." Mario said.

"Hey, Mario, let's ask Toad! He's over there!" Luigi said, pointing to Toad.

The Mario Brothers approached Toad, and he looked a little shaken up.

"Hey, Toad, where's the Princess?" Mario asked Toad.

"And who did that voice belong to?" Luigi asked.

"Well, here's the whole story. That voice belonged to Bowser, and he has stolen 75 power stars that protect this castle from evil. Using the power of the stars, Bowser sealed up the Princess somewhere within the castle and created worlds where he can build up energy for his Koopa army, in an effort to conquer not only the Mushroom Kingdom, but all of Videoland as well! He sealed up all the doors in the castle except for two, the communications room and that door over there!" Toad then pointed at the door with a yellow star just to his left. "Surely you will find some power stars there!"

"Bowser again? He never quits, does he?" Luigi asked.

"He sure doesn't. Toad, take me and Luigi to the communications room; we're calling the N Team!" Mario said.

"Okay, follow me!" Toad said, and a few seconds later, he let the Mario Brothers into the communications room, where they would be able to contact the N Team. Toad left with one last question to Mario: "What do you want me to do next?"

"Find a place to hide. We'll handle the rest." Mario said.

In the N Team's house, located in Megaland, a tone was heard, and it was coming from the Communications room.

"It looks like we're getting a call from Princess Peach's castle, located in the Mushroom Kingdom." Samus said.

"Receive call." Lana said.

The Mario Brothers appeared on the viewscreen.

"Yo, Mario and Luigi! What's up?" Mike asked.

"Nothing much. I need you guys to come to the castle immediately; it's urgent!" Mario said.

"We're on our way!" Rick said.

The viewscreen shut off.

"Gather your weapons, everybody! It looks like there's trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom again!" Kevin said to the team.

As soon as everyone had their weapons, Samus opened a warp, and everyone stepped through.

The N Team arrived at the front of Peach's Castle, where Mario and Luigi were waiting.

"So, Mario, what's the crisis?" Lana asked Mario.

Mario then told the story to the entire N Team: "Well, it's like this. Bowser has stolen 75 power stars that protect this castle from danger, and he's used its power to seal away Princess Peach somewhere in this castle. Plus, he made his own worlds so he can build up power for his troops. He plans to use his new army to conquer the entire universe! Unless we stop him, we're all doomed!"

"But there was one door that Bowser was unable to seal from us, and that door has a picture of some Bob-Ombs inside." Luigi added.

"Hey Mario, I thought there were 120 stars in the castle." Rick said.

"Bowser somehow missed the remaining 45 stars. Now, no time for questions. Let's go to Bob-Omb Battlefield!" Mario said.

With that command, the Mario Brothers plus the N Team jumped into the picture Luigi mentioned.

In no time, everyone was at Bob-Omb Battlefield, and just ahead was a pink Bob-Omb. Kevin approached the Bob-Omb knowing that he was friendly.

"Oh, hello. Who are you?" the pink Bob-Omb asked.

"I'm Kevin, and me and my friends looking for some power stars that can help us defeat Bowser." Kevin said.

"Well, I know where all five of those stars are. The Big Bob-Omb King at the top of the mountain is holding one. One is being held by Koopa the Quick, and he'll only give you the star if you can defeat the Bob-Omb King. One is on a floating island, one is behind Chain Chomp's gate, and the last one is in the sky." the pink Bob-Omb said.

Kevin said thanks to the pink Bob-Omb, and, after Lana heard all of that, she came up with a strategy.

"Okay, I say we split up and get the different stars around here." Lana said.

"The only stars we can get right at this moment are the Bob-Omb King's star, the star in the sky, and the star behind Chain Chomp's gate. The other stars require cannons." Rick added.

Mario was the first to speak: "I'll get the star in the sky with my wing cap."

"I'll get the star from the Chain Chomp. I'd like for Mike and Samus to help me." Luigi said.

"Hey, no sweat!" Mike said.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll do it." Samus said.

"The rest of us will take on the Bob-Omb King." Kevin said.

"Okey-dokey, let's do it!" Mario said.

Then the group split up and did their jobs.

At Chain Chomp's gate, Luigi was looking at the Chain Chomp going wild trying to escape.

"He doesn't look very friendly." Samus said.

"He's never friendly." Luigi said.

"So, what's the plan, Luigi-man?" Mike said.

Luigi then told his plan: "Me and Mike will hammer the post down into the ground while Samus keeps the monster distracted."

After they settled on the plan, Samus ran all over the place, keeping the Chain Chomp occupied. All the while, Mike and Luigi were punching the post down into the ground with their power. In a matter of seconds, the task was done, and the Chain Chomp was so excited, he knocked the gate down, and the three heroes grabbed the first power star of the adventure. Just then, Mario came onto the scene.

"Hey, guys, I see you got the power star." Mario said.

"We sure did, and what's with the wings?" Mike asked Mario, noticing the wings on his cap.

"This is my wing cap, and I used it to get the star in the sky." Mario said, showing his star to Luigi.

"Great job, Mario!" Luigi said.

"Yeah, thanks. I wonder how the others are doing." Mario said.

The rest of the N Team, which consisted of Lana, Rick, Stacey, and Kevin, were dodging the big marbles rolling down the mountain on the way to the top. They finally got there and met face-to-face with the Bob-Omb King.

"Ah, you four must be part of the N Team. I am the Bob-Omb King, and you must defeat me if you're going to have a chance to get my star!" the Bob-Omb King said.

"Hey, buddy, action speaks louder than words!" Lana remarked.

"We'll run behind you, pick you up, and give you one heck of a hurting!" Stacey said.

Then the battle started. The Bob-Omb King was basically charging toward everybody, but, true to Stacey's words, the N Team ran behind the Bob-Omb King, picked him up, and threw him to the ground. They did this three times, and the Bob-Omb King had no choice but to surrender the star he was holding.

"He was no sweat." Lana said.

"There'll be more bosses like him coming up." Kevin said.

"What's next?" Stacey asked Rick.

"Let's head back to the surface, where the others are waiting." Rick suggested.

Once everyone was at the bottom, they suddenly saw a new character waiting for them. It was Koopa the Quick, who he himself claimed was the fastest Koopa Troopa in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario noticed him and gave his next plan: "I'll race that seemingly-fast Koopa while Luigi uses the cannons to retrieve the star on the floating island. You guys take that pipe back to Peach's Castle and wait for us at the painting."

The team agreed and took the pipe back to Peach's Castle while Mario raced Koopa, and Luigi got the star on the island.

Once all 5 stars from Bob-Omb Battlefield were collected, the N Team and the Mario Brothers continued their adventure. They took a chip off of the Whomp King in Whomp's Fortress, held their breath for almost their lives in Jolly Roger Bay, and even raced a big penguin in Cool Cool Mountain. By the time they passed these courses, a total of 20 stars were being held by the good guys. Mario suggested that they face off against Bowser in his first home, the Dark World. Everyone took their time to get around the dark place, until they all reached a pipe. After they took it, they were standing on an empty platform with bombs floating just outside.

"Hmmm, nobody here." Luigi said.

Suddenly, there were minor rumbling sounds in the distance, along with Bowser's voice: "Ha, too bad, N Team! Princess Peach ain't here! Before you go wondering off on the rest of your adventure, I've got a little surprise for all of you. A crushing one at that!"

With that, Bowser appeared in front of the Mario Brothers and the N Team. He was much bigger and meaner than the last time the Mario Brothers encountered him. Stacey was frightened by his looks, and she had to get a grip on Kevin just to hang on.

"He's no sweat. Just simply pick him up by the tail and toss him into one of the bombs out there. Your power stars give you the strength to lift him up." Rick said to Mario.

"I'll do that. The rest of you keep him distracted." Mario said.

The N Team then fired their weapons at Bowser, which obviously had no effect. But Bowser was so focused on burning the N Team, he forgot about Mario. Mario grabbed his tail, spun him around like a merry-go-round, and threw him into the bomb outside of the platform. Once the bomb exploded, Bowser ricocheted back to the center platform, laying flat on his back, groaning in pain.

"That one hurt him!" Mike said.

"You may have won this round, but I shall return, and next time, you won't be so lucky." Bowser said before vanishing from the scene and leaving a key behind.

Rick picked up the key and explained what it was for: "We've got to defeat Bowser two more times before we find Peach. This key takes us to the basement, where more stars are waiting for us."

"Right on, Rick! Let's get going!" Kevin said.

The N Team, with the key in hand, warped back to the main room of Peach's Castle.

Back in the main room, the N Team was deciding where to go next.

"Okay, who's going where?" Lana asked.

"Well, the next five courses we go through before facing Bowser in the Fire Sea are Big Boo's Haunted Carousel, Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land, Shifting Sand Land, and Dire Dire Docks." Rick said.

"Eight of us and five courses. Hmmm,..." Kevin said, thinking of a plan.

"I've got an idea. We'll split up with two of us going through one course. And once all the stars are retrieved, we go to Dire Dire Docks and Bowser's Fire Sea together!" Mike said.

"Like, totally cool thinking, Mike!" Stacey said.

"I say Luigi and I go to the Haunted Carousel." Samus said.

"Me and Lana can go to Hazy Maze Cave." Mario said.

"Stacey's coming with me to Lethal Lava Land." Kevin said.

"Mike and I will head for Shifting Sand Land." Rick said.

"Okay, then, let's do it!" Lana said.

"Wait! These will come in handy!" Rick said to the group.

He handed everyone a pocket guide to the five worlds the N Team were heading to next, including the stars.

"I actually made these before we left Megaland." Rick added.

"Way to go, Rick! Now let's get moving!" Kevin said.

The group then split up and headed for their chosen locations.

Lana and Luigi, on the way to the basement, saw a Boo to their left.

"Hey, what's a Boo doing in here?" Lana asked Luigi.

"I'm not sure," Luigi said, "but we better find out what it's up to."

The two charged towards the ghost, which led them to Peach's backyard. Outside were a bunch of Boos.

"How did these guys get here?" Lana asked Luigi.

"I'd say Bowser sent them while we were in the main hall." Luigi said. "Hey, look at that one!"

Luigi noticed one of the Boos with a miniature carousel inside its see-through body. Lana quickly blasted the Boo, leaving the carousel on the ground. Lana came up to the small object, peeked inside, and saw Boos populating the visible area.

"That must be Big Boo's Haunted Carousel." Luigi said.

"A small one if you ask me." Lana said.

Lana and Luigi were both next to the carousel when it started glowing white. Lana and Luigi then found themselves inside the carousel, since the scenery looked remarkably different to them. Once their vision returned, Luigi spoke first.

"What was that about?" Luigi asked.

"We must've warped inside the carousel. We better explore that haunted house up ahead." Lana said.

And that's just what they did.

In Hazy Maze Cave, Mario and Samus were working their way through the cave. Their guide listed the first star as: "Swimming Beast in the Cavern".

"Swimming Beast in the Cavern?" Samus asked.

"I think the swimming area of this cave is on the lowest level. Let's head there." Mario said.

Mario and Samus took a nearby elevator to reach the underwater section of the cave. Inside, they saw a high island with a star on top. They also saw a blue sea dragon, heading straight for them.

"A blue sea dragon coming at us. Its name is Dorrie." Mario told Samus.

"You want me to blast it?" Samus asked.

"Nah. It looks friendly judging by its face." Mario said.

He was right. Just as Dorrie approached the two, it lowered its head. Samus was confused, but Mario knew what it was doing.

"I think she wants us to ride her." Mario said.

"Is there room for two?" Samus asked.

"No. You stay here while I get that star." Mario said.

Mario got on Dorrie, who delivered him to the island. Mario jumped off Dorrie and onto the island, where we was able to retrieve the star. Mario then got back onto Dorrie and rode it to the elevator pathway, where Samus was waiting.

"Good work." Samus said.

"What? That's all? Anyway, the next star is in the toxic maze." Mario said.

"Cool. My suit is toxic-proof." Samus said.

"I'll need a Metal Cap to survive through the maze. We can find one on the way to the maze." Mario said as they both traveled further into Hazy Maze Cave.

Stacey was staying close to Kevin, as she couldn't stand the blazing hot atmosphere around her.

"It's, like, totally hot here!" Stacey said.

"Just stay close, and nothing will happen." Kevin said.

They were crossing platform after platform to reach the one that belonged to the Big Bully, who was holding the first star to Lethal Lava Land. They reached the platform, and the Big Bully was charging at the two like a bullet.

"Jump!" Kevin told Stacey.

They both got out of the way. Big Bully wasn't looking while sliding to a stop, and Stacey took this opportunity to push him into the hot lava, just as she had been doing with the other Bullies around the land. The first power star appeared out of the lava, and Kevin grabbed it.

"Totally cool!" Stacey said in excitement.

"Yep. Now, let's go for the other stars." Kevin said.

With that, they both continued on their adventure.

After a little while, everyone returned in front of the entrance to Course 9: Dire Dire Docks. A total of 20 stars were collected, bringing their total to 40.

"Whew, that little carousel outside had some big and scary ghosts inside!" Lana said.

"It's a good thing Toad made a metal cap for this adventure. What a hazy cave that was!" Mario said.

"Stacey almost got a hot foot, but we hot-footed across the level with some ease." Kevin said.

"That disgusting vulture almost ruined my hair! I'm going to pay him back for that!" Mike said.

Everyone laughed.

Mario gave the next plan: "Let's split up again. Four of us can get the 5 stars while the other four can go defeat Bowser in the Fire Sea. I say me, Luigi, Kevin, and Lana defeat Bowser while Stacey, Rick, Mike, and Samus get the five stars."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Let's do it." Lana said.

"But first, we need to get Bowser's submarine out of the way. Luigi and I can do that while the rest of you wait here, and after that, we can carry on with our plan." Mario said.

"We won't be long." Luigi said.

With that, Mario and Luigi jumped into the watery picture that led them to Dire Dire Docks. In no time, the water moved back, revealing the hole that could take them to Bowser again. The brothers returned from the picture.

"I told you all we'd be quick." Luigi said.

"We got the first star in the process, so Rick, Mike, Stacey, and Samus only have to get four." Mario said.

"Okey-dokey, Mario!" Stacey said.

Rick, Mike, Stacey, and Samus all jumped into the Dire Dire Docks picture, which was actually a wall of water. Everyone else jumped into the hole to face Bowser in the Fire Sea.

After crossing through the fiery rivers and groups of enemies, Kevin, Lana, Mario, and Luigi all jumped into the lone pipe ahead of them. When they landed, Bowser was standing in front of them, unchanged since the first battle.

"Well, back for more? All right, time to say good-bye, pests!" Bowser said.

He began by jumping high into the air and tilting the platform towards the hot lava. Everyone held their grip on the risen edge, but Lana lost her handling and began sliding towards Bowser. Luigi let go of the platform's edge and snagged Lana's wrist in a grip that was painfully solid. Together, the four heroes rode out the tilt.

"I've got her! Go for it, Mario!" Luigi said to Mario.

He obeyed, snagging Bowser's tail and swinging. In no time, he was sent airborne and impacted on one of the arena's bombs. Bowser gave up the second key, and the team left, key in hand.

Kevin, Lana, and the Mario Brothers returned; the others were waiting for them.

"Well, how did it go?" Rick asked Kevin.

"Things were edgy, but we got the second key!" Kevin said.

"Cool! That's for upstairs, and there are only six courses left! Oh, and I've got pocket guides for those six worlds." Rick said.

"We got the other four stars also, making a total of 45 stars." Samus said to Lana.

"Good work, team! Now, let's keep going! Princess Peach still needs our help!" Lana said to everyone.

As the team headed for the main hall and unlocked the door upstairs, they received pocket guides to the remaining six worlds from Rick. They entered the newly-unlocked door, ready to take on the remaining six courses.

In Bowser's new sky platform, Bowser was smiling as he was watching the N Team.

"Yes, N Team, come to me. Your doom awaits!" Bowser said, laughing in an evil tone.

TO BE CONTINUED...